[conservatism_IS_compassion]

It’s kind of irrelevant as

• a) I don’t think he can get elected;
• b) if elected, no way in Hades he possibly gets ANY conservative through an overwhelmingly Dem senate; and therefore
• c) I doubt he would even bother to nominate a conservative, even if
• d) he was so inclined (which he really isn’t, windbag that he is).

I agree with all but a). It's doubtful if Hillary can pull out the nomination, and since blacks think Obama's nomination is a done deal there would be the devil to pay if she did. So it's far from certain that she can beat McCain.

Rev Wright and Michelle Obama are on record as being bigoted against whites, and accordingly Obama couldn't draw flies in the WV primary. Obama might poll well before the election, but in the privacy of the voting booth his own grandmother would probably think twice about voting for him for POTUS.

Since we're cynical about McCain, neither of us thinks he'll choose his VP nominee wisely - but if we're talking can, McCain can KO Obama if he just selects a conservative, patriotic, conventionally Christian, black running mate. Since the Constitution provides for affirmative action in selecting the VP nominee, that is perfectly justifiable even if that nominee's resume is as thin as Obama's is. Think of the hornet's nest that can be stirred up by raising the issue of "reparations!" If Obama says he's for them, what sane white would vote for him? If Obama opposes them, what happens to his black support? (I do not assume that a black Republican VP nominee would attract noticeable black voting support - only the support of guilt voters who need an excuse not to vote Obama).

[LS]

My assumptions about a black Republican candidate were pretty well dashed by Ken Blackwell's thrashing in 06 in OH. Not to say this is the case in every state, but OH still has a lot of blue-collar whites who aren't yet ready to make the leap to a black leader---Obama or otherwise. While Obama would lose their votes in a place like OH or W VA, or KY, I don't see any black Veep "gaining" them for McCain.

The only reason now I would even consider voting for McCain is if he picked a young conservative as his veep.